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On the difference between Hunger Games director Gary Ross and Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence: “They're almost polar opposites,” Lawrence said of the two directors, being quick to add, “and both are completely perfect for these movies. Francis is kind of genius at building different worlds and transporting you into another world. The vibe on set is much quieter. Gary is very energetic. Francis is very laid-back and very calm.”

On the difference between filming Catching Fire and Winter's Bone: “The vibe on [Winter’s Bone] set was exactly what makes me love indies. The only reason we were all out there in the freezing cold was because we loved the project. I love that feeling, that desperate, almost pathetic feeling of ‘Are we actually going to be able to pull this off?’”

On Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell: “He’s such a goofball. I love him so much. If Bradley wasn't on the set, we never would have finished the movie. Bradley would come and find David and me making videos, pretending to wipe our asses with coffee napkins, and he would be like, 'We have to finish the day!’”

On being discovered: “I was in New York, just watching street dancing, and this model scout asked if he could take a picture. I had no idea that was creepy. So I was like, 'Yeah, sure,’ and I gave him my mom's phone number. And then he called and said all these agents wanted to meet, and we were like, 'Might as well.’ I was playing field hockey and cheerleading and wanted to be a doctor—but within 20 minutes, in the cab ride from the hotel room, I decided I didn’t want to be a model, that, in fact, I wanted to be an actress, and I would only sign with an agency if they would let me audition for commercials and act as well. I don't know where that came from. And one of them gave me a script, to audition, the next day, and I read the script and it was the first time I had that feeling like I understand this. This is the first time I've ever understood anything. I was 14. And my brothers were star athletes. And one of them was a straight-A student. I always felt like I sucked at everything, that I could never find the thing that I liked. I auditioned and I probably sucked, but I had decided 100 percent that this is what I wanted to do."

On her casual approach to acting: “I don't even really watch playback [when making a movie]. Not that I'm against it. But I always forget. Every time they call 'Cut,' I'm at the craft tables."

On her similarities with Katniss: “I read the Hunger Games books when it was Oscar season, so for the first time I was in these dresses which didn't look like me and didn't feel like me. I felt like a walking rag doll. I remember sitting there in hair and makeup, listening to the things that they were talking about, and most of the things I didn't even know. My dad called them the pit crew—they did hair and makeup and nails all at the same time. So I read that and I was like, 'I know exactly how that feels.' And then, in the second book, people's relationships to you suddenly change. You're aware of people staring at you. [...] I call my mom sobbing all the time. But it's dealing with the repercussions of having no more anonymity. You lose privacy. And then, the third book, I teared up when I read it, because she finally realizes she can do good with it. Children are in the hospital. and just going and meeting them can lift their spirits and give them hope. As much as this is a curse, as stupid as it sounds, to make as much money as I am by doing something that I love, it's hard not to regret it when you're being chased by 15 strangers."

On acting being 'stupid': “On the first movie I met this girl [via Make-a-Wish], and I can't tell this story without crying. [...] She had scars all over her body—burns—and she was telling me she was always so ashamed of the way she looked and she was so embarrassed, and now she has the nickname the Girl on Fire, but she loves it and wears it proudly. It gives her confidence. That was the first time in my entire career that I actually felt like there was a point in this. Not to sound rude, but it is stupid. Everybody's like, 'How can you remain with a level head?' And I'm like, 'Why would I ever get cocky? I'm not saving anybody's life. There are doctors who save lives and firemen who run into burning buildings. I'm making movies. It's stupid.'"

On the movies she watches over and over:“Yeah, but they're not artistic movies. Things like Dumb and Dumber. Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That's a great movie—I won't make excuses for that one. There's Something About Mary. I just watched that for the 50th time. Bridget Jones's Diary is the one that, no matter when it's on, I will watch it. Anytime.”

On being a fan:“I had the basic 'NSync obsession. And Leonardo DiCaprio. But when kids do weird things to me, I'm like, 'I never did that when I was little.' ... I went nuts over Harry Potter and read it four times and pretended I was a witch, but I don't think I would have done some of the—actually, that's not true. I saw Daniel Radcliffe when I was doing David Letterman and I flipped out. I was screaming.So never mind. I take back everything I said.”

On her trouble with lying:“I get the weirdest anxiety. I swear to God, I blame my mom. When I was in elementary school, I told everyone I had a leg problem and it required a lot of attention, my imaginary leg problem, and I didn't know if I was going to live or die. And my mother comes to school, and one of my classmates is like, 'How is Jennifer's leg?' And my mom looks at me and she knows I've been lying and she made me purge. I was on the floor and she drew all the lies out of me that I had ever told. She made me tell every single lie, and I was, like, crying. It was horrible! I swear. I blame her. Even the smallest thing, like 'How's your day'?' If' I'm having a bad day and I say, 'It was good,’ I'm like, Oh. God!, and I have to purge."